Preparation of mineral feeds



Sept. 29, 1931. G. F. PFEiFFER PREPARATION OF MINERAL FEEDS Filed Feb. 11, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .GBOVEB I. PI'EIl'm OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS, ASBIGNOR TO HOOD-MAN MANUFACTURING comm, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS PREPARATION- OF MINERAL FEEDS Application fled February 11, was. Serial No. 252,618.

This invention has to do with the preparation of mineral feeds, and is concerned particularly with the preparation of granulated, distinguished from powdered, mineral eeds.

5 Granulated mineral feeds, such as those disclosed in Patents Nos. 1,649,123 and 1,637,- 428, are superior in many respects to powdered mineral feeds. They are easy for the stock to pick u they will not blow away; they do not ten to strati when mixed with grain or other stock fee they are cleaner to handle; and the ha in which they are shi ped do not need to lined.

he matter of making up mineral feeds in granulated form is something, however, which has given those skilled in the art considerable concern, since the apparatus and process employed must be such t at the mineral feed can be formed u into fairly uniform granules without inc udini too high a percentage of fine particles whic require reprocessin the rocessing must be such as to permit 0 quantity production; and the cost of processing must not greatl exceed that of preparin mineral feedsinor inarypowdered' form. T e urpose of this invention, generally state is to present a commercially practicable solution of these difliculties.

80 One object of the invention is to provide a novel ap aratus which can be used to make u miner feeds in fairly uniform nules without too high a percentage of ne articles which must be done over, whic is as capable of producin the granules in large quantities, and whic is inexpenslve to construct, operate and maintain.

Another object is to provide a novel roeess of preparing mineral feeds in granu ated form.

Still another object is to provide a granulated mineral feed in which the granules are of a novel and highly advantageous sha While the foregoing statements are in icative in a general way of the nature of the invention, other s(] l])i'lects and advantages will occur to those ed in the art u on a full understanding of the product, t e process and the construction, arrangement and operation of the apparatus.

One form of apparatus embodying the invention is presented herein for the purpose of exemplification, but it will of course be understood that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in other forms coming equaL 1y within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 isa schematic view illustrative of an apparatus which is constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section throu h the apparatus, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through that portion of the apparatus hereinafter referred to as the formin device;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary verticfi longitudinal section, showing a modification of the forming device;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the modification shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, showing another modification of the forming device;

. Fig. 7 is an end shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8' is a side view, showing still another modification of the forming device; and

Fig. 9 shows a small quantity of mineral feed which has been processed in accordance with the invention.

The apparatus shown in Fi 1 and 2 includes a attery of hoppers 101nto which are dumped the various dry constituents which go to make up the mineral feed. In the case of the rticular mineral feed disclosed in Patent 0. 1,637,428 such dry constituents would be treated rock phosphate, limestone, salt cake, charcoal and common salt.

The hoppers 10 are provided with measuring devices 11 which discharge the ingredi- F1 view of the modification cuts in proper proportion into a trough 12 where the in edients are thoroughly mixed while dry. he trough 12 discharges the dry mixture continuously into a hopper 13, and the hopper 13 is rovided with a measuring device 14 which in turn discharges the dry mixture into a trough 15. The water or other li uid used to moisten the dry mixture is also discharged into the trough 15 through a conduit 16.

The dry mixture and the water are thoroughly mixed in the trough 15, and the moistened mixture is discharged from the trough 15 into a distributing trough 17. The trough 17 is provided with several suitably controlled outlets 18 through which the moistened mixture is discharged into a battery of devices 19, where the mixture is shaped under pressure into homogeneous granules of the desired shape and size. The granules are de osited by the forming devices 19 onto an en less conveyor 20 which moves beneath the same, and are carried by the conveyor without disturbance into a heated casing 21, where they are dried and hardened, the granules, after the initial setting action produced by the heat, being transferred from the conveyor 20 to a series of conveyors 22. When the granules reach the discharge end of the lowermost conveyor, they are transferred to a device 23 which elevates them into a sli ht ly inclined rotating screen cylinder 24, w ere any fine particles of the m neral feed not formed up into granules of the proper size by the apparatus are se arated from the granules of proper size. he granules of proper size pass through a coarse mesh screen 25 which covers the lower end of the cylinder, g

and drop into a hopper 26 from which they are bagged or removed in bulk, whlle the fine particles pass through a fine mesh screen 27 and drop into a small hop er 28.

The granules into which t e powdered 1ngredients of the mineral feed are formed are preferably flat sided, of slightly greater length than width, and of about the size of grains of corn. A granule of the type described which is square in cross section and which measures from about y to ,4" in width and from about to in length possesses several special advantages.

Mineral feed, when processed in accordance with the present invention, is easy for the stock to pick up even when dumped on a flat unrestricted surface, since it is not unlike grain in certain respects. It is economical in use because there is practically no waste such as there is with powdered mineral feeds which blow away and stick to the wet snouts and feet of the stock. It will not settle to the bottom when mixed with an other solid stock feeds such as grain. t is clean to handle as it does not give oif dust or stick to articles with which it comes into contact.

in ordinary coarse mesh un med bags.

The forming device 19, which is shown in detail in Fig. 3, consists of a casing 29 having a circular bore which is occupied by an auger 30. One end of the casing is closed an forms a bearing 31 throng which a shaft 32 on that end of the au r extends and the other end of the casing is open and has mounted therein a die plate 33 which is held against the end of the casing lay a retainin ring 34 secured by clamps 35. he moisten mineral feed enters the casing 29 through a hopper 36 in the top of the same and is moved endwise of the casing toward the die plate by a helical rib 37 on the an r. The rib decreases in pitch toward the ie plate, and the front operative face of the rib is straight, instead of inclined, with res ct to the axis of the auger. The bore of t e casing (preferably increases in diameter toward the a plate, and the rib 37 likewise increases in diameter, whereb to produce a close fit between the auger an the casin The lip 38 on the rib of the auger prefera 1y terminates in slightly spaced re ation to the plate 33, and the moistened mineral feed is expressed by the lip through a large number of square apertures 39 in the plate. The a ertures 39 taper slightly toward the outer aceof the plate in order to relieve the ressure or friction on the material after it as once started to pass through the plate. The slight taper also has a tendency to give the extruded material a slick surface, which is desirable.

The casing29 is preferably made up into two sections 40 and 41 which are bolted toether, whereby to permit the section 40, which is subjected to the atest wear and stress, to be replaced shoul occasion require. The auger 30 is driven b a sprocket wheel 42 which 15 mounted on t e outer end of the shaft 32, and the shaft is rovided inside the casing with a collar 43 w ich. is so designed as to take up the end thrust developed in the operation of the auger.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown amodification of the form n device in which an extension 44 is provided on the end of the auger and a finger 45 is secured to the extension in s aced relation to the outer face of the die p ate. The finger 45 is so arranged as to folow closely after the lip 46 of t e auger and break up into the desired lengths the material extruded through the apertures in the plate, thereby preventin the formation of undesirabl long granu es.

In igs. 6 and 7 is shown another modification of the forming device in which the material is prevented from being formed into undesirably long granules by mcans of a flat air jet which is discharged from a nozzle 47 adjacent the die plate and moves in s a arallel relation to the same, breaking 0 into t e desired granule length any strings of the Furthermore, it may be shipped economically steam mineral feed which tend to continue unbroken as farout asthe plane of the jet. The an jet serves the same neral purpose as the gage; :5 in the modi cation shown in Figs.

In Fig. 8 is shown still another modification of the fo device which difiers from that shown in Figs. 4 andb in that the axis of the device is arra zontall so t at the ules as they are forme will drop straight down onto the conveyor 20, which conveyor is arrangedas close to the face of the die plate as practicable in order to reduce to a minimum the lengthpf dro Such vertical arrangement permits eac of the nules to dro directly to the conveyor without falling rst against the other granules, as is to a certain ext ntthe case in the modifications previously described, and as a result, the proportion ofv fine particles included with the granules is reduced to a minimum.

One of the most important process features of the invention is t at involved in drying and hardening the lobules on the same surface as that on which they are deposited by the formin device. while in an extremely fragile con ition. Another important process feature resides in the sequence of steps whereby the dry ingredients are first thoroughly mixed, after which the dry mixture is in turn thoroughly mixed withfthe water or other liquid used to moisten thesame.

I claim:

1. A device for formin a mixture of moistened mineral feed ingre ients into ranules characterized by an apertured die late, means for forcing the material throug the apertures in the plate under pressure, and means beneath the plate closely adjacent the same for receiving without breakage the granules into which the mineral feed is shaped as it passes through the apertures.

2. A device for. formln a mixture of moistened mineral feed ingredients into granules, characterized by an apertured die plate, means for forcing the material through the apertures in the plate under pressure, means beneath the plate for receiving the granules into which the mineral feed is shaped as it passes through the apertures, and means for drying the granules while on said last mentioned means.

3. A device for formin a mixture of moistened mineral feed I redients into granules, characterized by a die plate having apertures which increase in area toward one face of the late, means for forcing the mixture throug the apertures in the plate under pressure in a direction toward that face of the plate, and means beneath the plate for receivin the granules into which the mineral fee is shaped as it passes through the apertures.

4. A device for forming a mixture of d vertically rather than hori moistened mineral feed ingredients into ules, characterized by a casing, an apertured die plate in one part of the casing, and an auger-1n the ca for forcing the mixture of. moistened mineral feed ingredients through the a rtures in the plate, said auger hav1ng a fee in rib the rent surface of which isdperpen icular to the axis of the auger an the rear surface of which is inclined.

5. A device for formin a mixture of moistened mineral feed ingredients into granules, characterized by a casing, an apertured die plate in bus part of the casing, and

an auger 1n the casing for forcing the mix-' ture of moistened mineral feed ingredients through the a rtures in the late, said auger having a f ing rib the ront surface of which is dperpendicular to the axis of the auger an the rear surface of which is inclined and said rib having a lip which terminates in spaced relation to the die plate.

6. A. device for formin a mixture of moistened mineral feed ingredients into anules, characterized by an elongated casmg having a smooth bore which increases in diameter toward one end, an apertured die plate at that end of the casing, and an auger in the casing for forcing the mixture of moistened mineral feed ingredients through the apertures in the plate, said auger like wise increasing in diameter toward that end of the casing and having a lip which terminates in spaced relation to the die plate.

7. A device for formin a mixture of moistened mineral feed ingre ients into granules, comprising an apertured die plate, means for forcing the mixture throug the apertures in the plate, and means associated with the late in s aced relation to the same for limitmg the ength of the granules extruded throu h the apertures.

8. 5 device for formin a mixture of moistened mineral feed ingredients into granules, comprising an apertured die late, means for forcing the mixture throug the apertures in the plate, and means associated with the late in spaced relation to the same for limiting the length of the granules extruded through the apertures, said means consisting of a finger which is movable in a plane generally parallel to the face of the p ate.

9. A device for formin a mixture of moistened mineral feed ingredients into granules, comprising an apertured die late, means for forcing the mixture throug the apertures in the plate, and means associated with the late in spaced relation to the same for limiting the length of the granules extruded through the apertures, said means consisting of an air 'et which moves in a plane generally para] el to the face of the ate. 10. A device for forming a mixture of moistened mineral feed ingredients into granules comprising an apertured die late arranged in a substantially horizontal p ane, means for forcing the mixture downwardly through the apertures in the plate under pressure, means for limitin the length of the granules extruded throng; the apertures, and means beneath the plate 111 closely spaced relation to the same for receiving the anules into which the mixture is shaped as it passes through the apertures.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

GROVER F. PFEIFFER.

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION Patent No. 1,825,475.. Granted September 29, 1931, to

GROVER l". PFEIFFER.

it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 87, strike out the word "with"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and scaled this 8th day of December, A. D. 193i.

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,825,475. Granted September 29, 1931, to

GROVER F. PFEIFFER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 87, strike out the word "with"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of December, A. D. 1931.

M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents,- 

